A man killed by Clarksville police on Friday and connected to a missing Nashville woman had been sentenced to life in prison in a 1995 slaying in Gallatin. But he was released when the conviction was overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

James Alfonzo Vaughn, 49, aka "Fuzz," was fatally shot after firing on members of the Clarksville Police Department Tactical Team on Friday.

He was the ex-boyfriend of Letitia Lane of Nashville, missing since March 10, according to Lane's mother, Wilma Lane Taylor.

According to documents obtained by The Leaf-Chronicle, Vaughn was convicted of murder, attempted murder and reckless endangerment in Sumner County.

He and another man were accused of opening fire on July 2, 1995, outside a Gallatin restaurant named Wing-Its, where about 20 people were gathered.

Four people were injured, including Tyrone Smith, who was shot in the abdomen and thigh. Smith died four days later.

Some witnesses identified Vaughn as the shooter, while some identified the other man, and some identified both together.

Vaughn was convicted of first-degree murder in May 1996, but that murder conviction was overturned in June 2006 because of ineffective counsel. The case was remanded back to the trial court, and Vaughn was eventually released.

Lawrence Ray Whitley, district attorney general in Sumner County, could not be reached for comment Monday. It was not immediately known if the case was set for retrial.

Daughter still missing

Meanwhile, Taylor continues to look for her daughter and holds out hope that she will be found safe.

But she knows something is wrong. As the mother of three children, ages 15, 20 and 25, she knows her daughter wouldn't vanish without a word.

Taylor said Lane broke off her relationship with Vaughn for good, but he had been going to the AT&T building in Nashville, where Lane worked, for days before the disappearance.

She told her sister that Vaughn told her he was moving away and wanted to take her to dinner one last time.

"He was the last one she was seen with," Taylor said.

When Lane didn't show up for work on March 12, a co-worker called and heard a woman crying, rustling and a hang-up, Taylor said. She thinks her daughter may be being held somewhere.

Search parties of family, friends and volunteers have posted fliers and looked for her in Madison, Nashville, Lebanon and Clarksville, she said.

“Everybody is devastated over this, Taylor said. "She is not the type of mother that would leave her 15-year-old unattended by himself. ... This is totally out of her character to even miss a day without notifying her company. She has been a very dedicated hard worker, mother, daughter, aunt and cousin.”

But Taylor won't give up hope.

"Our focus is that we are still hopeful she is alive," she said. "In our hearts, we feel like she is still alive."

Taylor has also hired a private detective and said police in several jurisdictions are helping. The search has included helicopters and search dogs.

“We are doing everything we possibly can to bring her back home,” she said. "It’s really painful.

“I don’t know where she can be."

Lane, 46, is described as 5-foot-7, African-American, with shoulder-length dark hair. On her left leg above the ankle is a tattoo with four Chinese characters. She also has a tattoo of a flower on her upper left arm.

She was last seen on March 11 with Vaughn. Anyone who has seen Lane or knows where she might be should call 911.

A GoFundMe.com page called "Help Us Find Letitia Lane" has raised $4,463 to help with the fliers and with paying for the private detective.